Homeopathy

Homeopathy (also spelled hom?opathy or homoeopathy) from the Greek words ??????, hómoios (similar) and ?????, páthos (suffering), is a system of alternative medicine, notable for its controversial practice of prescribing water-based solutions that in many cases do not contain chemically active ingredients. The theory of homeopathy was developed by the Saxon physician Samuel Hahnemann (1755–1843) and first published in 1796. It is growing in popularity in some areas where it is practiced today, but neither its empirical nor its theoretical foundation meets minimum scientific standards.

Diversity

There is, and always has been, considerable diversity in the theory and practice of homeopathy, some of which are mentioned below:

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Pragmatism versus mysticism

One notable distinction is between what can be called the 'pragmatic' and the 'mystical' approach - but it should be remembered that there are not two distinct groups, but a spectrum of attitudes and practices. An early advocate of pragmatism was Richard Hughes, while the most influential mystic was James Tyler Kent. The pragmatists tend to be open to "whatever works," whereas the mystics tend to rely on authority and tradition. There is still considerable diversity in both camps because the pragmatists usually define "working" based on personal experience and the mystics use various sources as authorities. The pragmatists tend to see homeopathy as complementary medicine and are more willing to co-exist with conventional doctors. The mystics, some of whom are also conventional doctors, see homeopathy as alternative medicine and have more confidence that homeopathy can be used effectively against all diseases. Pragmatists are more likely to be interested in proving homeopathy within the framework of mainstream science, and will talk about such concepts as the "memory of water" and stimulation of the immune system. The mystics see less need to justify their methods with conventional criteria; for them homeopathy acts on a vital force that is, so far, not accessible to science. The pragmatists are more likely to prescribe relatively low dilutions because the action of those seems more plausible, whereas mystics will often use high dilutions in single dose. Finally, pragmatists are more likely to use homeopathy in non-classical ways (see below).

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Classical versus non-classical homeopathy

Hahnemann's formulation of homeopathy and subsequent advances are often referred to as classical homeopathy in contrast with variants of homeopathy that do not observe all of its original tenets: in particular, classical homeopaths use one remedy at a time and base their prescription also on incidental or constitutional symptoms. But in reality homeopathic remedies are frequently used both by professionals and by the lay public based on formulations marketed for specific medical conditions. Occasionally single remedies are so used, but more typically mixtures of several remedies known to be useful for certain conditions are used in a practice collectively known as complex homeopathy. Some formulations are simply based on a 'shot-gun' approach of prescribing the most commonly indicated single remedies in mixture form, while other formulations, such as those by Heel and Reckeweg, are proprietary mixtures marketed for specific diagnostic critera based on various diagostic systems described in accompanying manuals. Much of the public and some practitioners are not familiar with classical homeopathy and equate these practices with homeopathy; others are familiar with the classical approach but regard these as legitimate variants; while others yet consider it a misuse of the term as such practice merely represents the use of homeopathic preparations without regard to (classical) homeopathic principles. Numerically the use of non-classical approaches probably exceeds that of classical homeopathy, at least in places like France and Germany where over-the-counter preparations are popular and where many doctors use natural medicines in a conventional clinical setting.

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